Qualitative and quantitative analysis of microplastics in commercial food and personal-care packaging products

Since 1950, approximately 9.1 billion tons of plastics have been produced all around the world. Plastics are found in everyday life ranging from disposable bottled beverages and food packaging products to consumer electronics and children’s toys. Several types of plastics currently in use include but are not limited to polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and bisphenol A (BPA). Following their use, many of these plastics can be found accumulating in landfills and marine ecosystems: but their life cycle does not end there. Photodegradation is the process that occurs when plastics are exposed to sunlight for long time periods resulting in the breakdown of macroplastics into microplastics ranging anywhere from 1 - 5 micrometers. Because of their size, these microplastics might be washed into the soil and become abiotic factors in marine ecosystems. With the prominence of plastics in commercial product packaging spanning from foods to cosmetics, the recent discussion of microplastics has brought into question the degree to which microplastics contaminate everyday products. The goal of this project is to determine if microplastics are found in food and personal care product packaging and, if so, to quantify their concentrations in routinely-used products